Select a language: English / French

The Republic of Guinea is located on the Atlantic Coast of west West_Africa and borders Senegal, Mali, Cote D’ivoire, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea Bissau.

The country has a population of about 10 million and a land area of 245,860 square km, which is slightly smaller than Oregon. In the past decade, warfare in nearby countries forced more than 1 million refugees to flee to Guinea.

Food shortages, lack of clean water and disease are prevalent throughout the country. Health conditions in Guinea are among the poorest in the world as people remain at high risk for waterborne, respiratory and sexually transmitted diseases.

The most common illnesses include cholera, malaria, typhoid fever and AIDS. In rural and urban areas, lack of clean potable water and poor sanitation are the primary causes of parasitic and endemic diseases. Children are especially vulnerable while medicine is in short supply.

The government has worked to improve the country's health care system, but the process has been slow due to limited resources and an overwhelming demand for medical services.

A staggering amount of the population does not have access to hospitals in urban areas. Along with little or no access to health care, Guinea's rural population is largely illiterate. This, too, has made it difficult to reach people in these communities.

Source: The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

 


 

Where we work: Guinea

Featured Ways to Get Involved

Donate
Volunteer
 
Medical Outreach